The present invention relates generally to landscaping, particularly to landscaping trees and bushes, and specifically to landscaping trees or bushes set in a bed of rocks or wood chips.
A bed of rocks, stones or wood chips set about a bush or small tree is both functional and aesthetic. The bed is functional because it minimizes the growth of weeds and grass about the shrubbery. The bed is also considered to be aesthetic, and the rocks, stones or wood chips in the bed may be of different sizes, shapes and colors in the nature of a rock garden.
The bed causes problems when the bush or other such shrubbery is to be trimmed. Leaves, branches and small twigs fall onto and into the rocks, stones or wood chips. Raking the leaves and small twigs out of the rocks, stones or wood chips is difficult because a light pressure on the rake draws out only a few of the leaves and twigs and because a heavy pressure on the rake draws out rocks, stones or wood chips with the leaves and twigs. Picking the leaves and small twigs out of the rocks, stones or wood chips by hand is time consuming. Leaving the leaves and small twigs where they fall detracts from the aesthetic quality of the landscaping about the shrubbery and causes a functional problem: a decomposition of the leaves and small twigs into compost and a growth of weeds in the compost above the layer of plastic which often underlies the landscaped area. Blowing the leaves and twigs out of the rocks, stones or wood chips is one option, but blowers scatter the relatively light wood chips beyond the landscaped area to the sidewalk, driveway or lawn. Blowers are also loud and polluting internal combustion machines that are expensive to buy, operate and maintain. Vacuuming the leaves and twigs out of the rocks, stones or wood chips is another option, but the relative lightness of the wood chips draws wood chips into the vacuum.